Álex Berenguer opened the scoring with a direct free-kick in the 17th minute before setting up Iñaki Williams for the second eight minutes before half-time. Aitor Paredes headed in another Berenguer delivery in the 70th minute, and Yuri Berchiche completed the rout late on after Getafe had been reduced to ten men following Mario Martín’s dismissal.
Bordalás did not hide his frustration, identifying defensive weakness and a lack of consistency as the central problems.
“The evidence is clear: we lack a lot of consistency. My teams have always been hard-working and very strong, and we are going through a period of great fragility,” he said.
Getafe had conceded nine goals across their previous two matches, and their captain David Soria had called for a deep examination of the team’s performances.
“I respect his opinion; he is the captain,” Bordalás said. “They scored three goals against us from set pieces and another from a throw-in. We cannot allow that. We have to reflect deeply.”
He added: “If they score three goals from set pieces, there is a lack of attention and responsibility. We cannot permit it. My teams have been known for being very reliable defensively, and that is not happening.”
Bordalás declined to use Martín’s red card as an excuse for the scale of the defeat.
“I prefer not to give an opinion. In the end, my opinion changes nothing,” he said. “We cannot justify ourselves or protect ourselves with an excuse. The defeat was clear and emphatic.”
The Getafe coach said the players were hurt by the performance and needed to respond quickly.
“We are hurting. The players are hurting, and we know we did not give a good image. It is something we have to correct and cannot allow,” he said.
He added: “We have to turn the page quickly, think about the next match, change and correct these errors that are costing us goals and defeats. My opinion, and what we think and feel, is that we have hit rock bottom and have to change quickly.”
Athletic coach Edin Terzić was delighted with his side’s response, particularly after recent disappointment.
“It is always good to win, especially at home. It was deserved. It is also important to score from set pieces. We hope to build on this,” he said.
Terzić praised the performance across the team, including Berenguer’s contribution, Williams’ goal and the debuts of young players Christian Imga and Jesús Vizcay.
“They were not gifts. They deserved this opportunity,” he said of the youngsters.
He also highlighted the importance of giving supporters a performance to celebrate and paying tribute to injured striker Gorka Guruzeta.
“After Levante, we wanted to give something back to the fans,” Terzić said. “We acted very well as a team.”
For Getafe, the scale of the defeat leaves little room for excuses. Bordalás knows that restoring defensive organisation will be essential if his team are to stop their slide.